Foldable table



Dec. 3l, 1929. G. A. LEWIS 1,741,576

FOLDABLE TABLE Filed Feb. 6. 1928 lllllllllll All. Illllll'lfll'lll lllllll Alllllllll 7 nE 19 Tm" l. l, V/ ll l/ l l; 14 18 1l 24 j 29 2? EEHGE H' LEN/5 attozmg Patented Dec. 31, 19.29

GEORGE A. LEWIS, F CLEVELAND, OI-IIO FOLDABLE TABLE Application led February 6, 1928.

This invention relates to knock-down tables, and in particular to such tables often v o such a table which shall possess great strength in its open position and have peculiar means of guiding. the parts into proper vposition when it is desired to roll or fold the parts together to collapse the device for storage or transportation.

The manner of accomplishing these objects will be clearly shown and explained as the description proceeds. The combination of parts and their relative arrangement will be recited in the appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my struc ture, the same being shown in its erect position;

Figure 2 is an inverted plan view of the same in its opened or extended position;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view, the section being taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Figure l is a bottom plan view of one side slat after all the table legs and supporting frame have been collapsed into position thereon, with other slats hinged thereto;

Figure 5 is a transverse section through the mid point of the folded device;

Figure 6 is a transverse section taken through the several hinges of the slats after all the table legs and the supporting frame have been collapsed upon the broad slat shown in Fig. 4, the latter with its attached parts have been folded over upon the adjoining slat, and asecond fold made over upon the third slat, and

Figure 7 is a transverse section of a leg and its attached brace, as taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

My collapsible table is made up of a sectional table top 10 and a collapsible frame 11, together with legs 12 pivoted on said frame. The top of my table is made up of a series of Serial N o. 252,208.

slats 13 of equal length but of different widths, this affording the opportunity of folding all parts of the table except the top, initially upon one of the outside slats 14, the support frame 11 for holding the legs 12 in position on the top comprising bars 15 and 16 pivoted adjacent their ends to the slat 111 at 17 and 18, respectively, and these bars having an intersecting relation which will be more clearly explained as the description proceeds.

The bars 15 and 16 have their ends 19 and 20 offset somewhat in a plane at right angles to the top, as seen in Fig. 2. This makes possible a broad intermediate portion 21 as seen in the plane referred to. As seen in a side view, as in Figs. 1 and 3, it will be seen that ythe bar 15 has an elongated slot 22 in its portion 21 which receives a tongue portion 23 of the bar 16, thereby loosely locking the bars against release, but permitting movement of the tongue 23 in the slot 22 between the spaced blades 241 of the bar 15 as the bars move on their pivots 17 and 18 to extend or close the frame.

When the frame is in its closed position, as

shown in Fig. 4, the two shoulders 25 resulting from the described offset arrangement of the ends 19 and 2O of the bar 16 relative to the intermediate portion 21, will contact with the shoulders 26 at the ends of the slot 22 in the bar 15'. At the same time the shoulders 27 on the bar 16 will contact the shoulders 28 of the bar 15 to make a very compact folded arrangement of the frame and legs upon the outer slat 14:.

The manner of assembling the bars 15 and 16 in the intersecting'position is not especially diilicult, a number of ways of threading the tongue 23 through the slot 22 being feasible, such as first forming a longitudinal slot in the'end 2O of the bar 15 for alinement with the slot 22, so that the tongue 23 of the other bar can be entered therein, after which the said end slot can' be filled with a core bar leaving this end 20 in the same condition as the opposite end 19 of bar 15. This explanation is made to show that it is practicable to so assemble the bars of the frame.

The ends 19 and 2O of each pair of bars are roo connected by braces comprising sections 29 and 30 pivoted together at 31, and cach section pivoted at 32 to its corresponding end of the bar. One of these sections is provided with a shoulder piece 33 which holds the sections against folding in more than one direction, as will be evident from the illustration in Fig. 2. These braces are adapted to fold into compact position as shown in Fig. 4, when the bars are brought into parallelism for folding the entire table.

The legs 12 are pivoted adjacent the top to the several ends of the bars 15 and 16 upon lateral pins 34 just inside the ends of said bars, the legs pivoted to the ends 2O being carried thereby in the swinging motion of the bars 15 and 16 on their pivots 17 and 1S. These legs are adapted to swing into a vertical position as shown in Fig. 1, or into folded positon as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. Each leg 12 is provided with a brace 35 pivoted tothe leg at a point 36 midway the length of the legs and having a hook end 37 for engaging a pin 38 on the bar to which the leg is pivoted. These braces are detachably connected to the said pins, so that they may swing on the pivots 36 into folded relation upon the legs, when the latter are folded against the bars 15 and 16. When the bars 15 and 16 are swung on their pivots 17 and 18 While in intersecting relation, and thereby folded together, as shown in Fig. 4, the ends 19 and 2O are brought into lateral contact at either end of the table, and the sides of the folded bars are in substantial alinement. For this reason, one of the pins 34 will be positioned on bar 15 a little lower than the other pin on the corresponding bar 16, so that one of the legs 12 may be folded down in contact with the slat 14, and the other leg folded upon the first leg, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 6.

Operation: To fold up the table in compact relation, the several braces 35 are unhooked from the pins 38 and brought into parallel relation with the legs. The sections 29 and 30 are then folded inward while the bars-15 and 16 are swung into lateral Contact, as well as intersecting relation, to result in the position shown in Fig. 4. The legs 12 are then folded down upon the supporting bars, with each pair in superposed position, so that the entire frame 11 is now located upon the slat 14 only. When in this position, the height of the collapsed frame 11 will be eXactly that equal to the wid-th of the adjacent slat 40, so that the slat 14 with its attached frame may be swung upon the hinges 41 over in contact with the slat 40, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The first two slats with the frame are now folded over upon the third slat 42 whose width is that of the first slat 14. The frame 10 is now enclosed by the slats 14, 40- and 42, and this box-like structure may be folded over upon the other two slats successively resulting inI a com-pact final assemblage shown in Fig. 5. The opening-up of the table required merely a reversal of the steps outlined above.

My improved structure provides in its open position a smooth flat top made up of adjacent slats which are held in position by supporting the outside slats by the several legs, the weight upon the intermediate slats being borne by the bars 15 and 16. The bundle into which all the parts are folded for transportation or storage, is rectangular in y y cross section and bound positively together as a unit by the hinges 41, so that no distortion of parts will tend to move the frame including the legs out of their proper position While the bundle is folded. This gives a very positive protection to the innerl parts of the bundle while the table is not in use.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A foldable table comprising a top consisting of slats hinged together at their edges on their under surface, a supporting frame secured to said under surface of one of the said slats and comprising, elongated bars each pivoted at one end to said slat for swinging movement thereon in a plane parallel thereto, the said bars being assembled in intersecting relation and relatively movable at their intersection, and having hinged sectional braces opening out to hold the said bars in extended position, and collapsible to hold the bars together in. compact relation, and table legs pivotally mounted on the said bars adjacent their ends.

2. A tab-le comprising a top consisting of a plurality of members which may be collapsed into a bundle, a collpasible frame comprising elongated bars each pivotally secured at one end to the under surface of one of said members and loosely intersecting in tongue and slot relation to open to extended position on said under surface by swinging on said pivots and to close into compact position, means for bracingl the frame in its extended position, and table legs pivotally' mounted on the ends of said bars'.

3. A foldable table comprising a top consisting of slats hinged together at-their' edges on their under surface, a supporting frame comprising a pair of elongated bars each pivoted at one end to= the under surface of one of said slots at opposite ends thereof, and one of said bars having a flat reduced mid portion slidably movable in an elongated slot intermediate the ends of the other, collapsible end braces having pivoted sections each pivoted to ends ofsaid frame bars, a pair of legs hinged to the lateral surface of each of said bars adjacent their ends so that the legs m-ay be folded down upon the frame bars, the frame barsk then swung to a folded position compactly over one of the outermost members of the top, and the entire top collapsed into a bundle enclosingl the said frame therein. Y

4. A foldable table comprising a top made up of slats secured together edge to edge on their under surfaces, a foldable support frame comprising intersecting bars having their intersecting parts movably connected by one such part having an elongated slot therein through which the corresponding part of the other bar extends, the corresponding ends of the barsbeing connected by pivoted braces permitting extension of either bar laterally in an arc avvay from the other bar, one end of each bar being pivoted at an edge to one of the outermost slats, the other ends of said bars being detachably connected to other of said slats, and table legs foldably and pivotally secured to parts of said frame, so that the legs may when opened out, support the frame and thereby the table top in position for use, and When folded upon the frame may be folded upon the said outermost slat of the top, the remaining slats being of such Width that the frame bearing the legs folded thereon, together With said fixed slat may be folded over and over thereon successively to form a compact bundle.

5. A foldable table comprising a top made up of slats secured together edge to edge on their under surfaces, a frame secured to the said surface to support the top and consisting of loosely intersecting bars, one end of 

